We will destroy the vaccines and not give them to the general public
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Some 40.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that expired have been separated from the storage location to be eradicated immediately, Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono stated.

"The difference is that these expired vaccines are no longer stored in the cool box but outside of it," he noted while attending the Opinion Hearing Meeting (RDP) streamed on YouTube, Tuesday.

Vaccines that have expired are spread across several storage facilities in regions and have been separated from vaccines that have not yet entered their expiry period, he revealed.

According to Harbuwono, expired vaccines is a problem that should be handled soon. Most of the expired vaccines are those donated by other countries and have a short expiry date.

The Ministry of Health has delivered a guideline to all vaccine storage facility managers in regions, so that expired vaccines are brought out of the cool boxes and separated from vaccines that can still be used.

The ministry then coordinates with the Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) to verify them for the purpose of elimination.

"They will be eradicated in their respective regions after verification has been conducted with BPKP. We will destroy the vaccines and not give them to the general public," he remarked.

Meanwhile, during the event, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin reported that Indonesia has around 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses available in central and regional governments' storage facility.

"Around 60 percent of them are free vaccines given by foreign (countries') governments," he explained.

The donation vaccine offers from overseas continue to come to Indonesia, but the offers are put on hold to this day to match the Indonesians' interest in vaccination, he said.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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